Using commercial-off-the-shelf electronics in military fighters saves money, however commercial electronics have a limited operating temperature range. As a result it is necessary to provide an active cooling system to use commercial electronics in the military fighter environment. Present heat exchangers used in military fighters use a pump to move a heat exchange medium through a heat pipe. The heat pipe allows the heat exchange medium to remove heat from the hermetically sealed electronic compartment to a cool air source. An electric fan is used in the sealed electronic compartment to circulate the cool air from the heat pipe. Unfortunately, the pump and fan require additional power and add weight that decrease performance and increase the costs of a fighter aircraft. In addition, the fan and the pump are subject to failure and therefore increase the maintenance burden for ground crews.
Thus there exists a need for a heat exchanger that does not require additional power and is not subject to failure.